Newbie looking for camera.

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jimcanswim

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Hello, I know you are all probably sick of newbies asking the same question. But I thought I'd ask as my situation is specific to me.

I have no idea of how to take a decent photo but would love to be able to. We are travelling Europe for the next year via campervan and don't want to miss out on some great photo opportunities.

We would like a reasonable camera DSLR but don't really want to spend over £350 if poss.

What sort of lenses do we need for mainly landscape photos? Where should we start looking to learn how to take a good photo? And should we buy new or second hand?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
As the thread has gone a while I'll throw my pennies in ... nikon d40x/ d50 second hand or if you get one in that budget d70s... all with 18-70 kit lens should get you going within your budget and are all very very good cameras.

To not appear biased the canon 350d and 400 may well land in your budget too and do very good jobs. There are other brands but stick to the big two and you have a wealth of users and second hand lenses etc to expand with as you need to.
 
Jessops had a deal on the Pentax K100D with kit lens for £299 which might be worth checking out too.

With Nikon if you will be budget minded about any future lens purchases I would not get a D40 or D40x if you will want to be able to use auto focus, but instead try to find a D50. This should be cheaper anyway but has a focus motor making it compatible with a lot of cheaper lenses that the D40/x are not.

For Canon there is an official outlet store on eBay selling refurbished models that come with a warranty so you may be able to pick up a bargain on something like the 350D that way:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet

For landscapes you would normally be wanting a wide angle lens so the 18-50mm range that is usual for kit lenses would be good to get you started and to learn with.

One last thing to remember, camera kits come with everything you need except memory cards so do not forget to include them in your budget.

Michael.
 
mij said:
For Canon there is an official outlet store on eBay selling refurbished models that come with a warranty so you may be able to pick up a bargain on something like the 350D that way:Michael.
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Just don't get carried away with the bidding - a few weeks ago there was a 400D that went for £750 - for a camera with a shop price of £480!!!
 
Thanks guys for the replies, they are appreciated. Can I ask, if I could go a little higher on the budget say £450-500 would it be worth investing the bit extra?

I love taking sunset photos but my camera (Nikon Coolpix 7600) really ain't up to much.

Thanks
 
I have been looking at the NIKON D40X would you say that is suitable for a beginner?
 
Standard advice for buying a first DSLR - go into a shop and hold a few in your hands. You will then have a better idea if you like large or small style cameras and how easy it is to find the buttons etc. Don't get tempted to buy anything in the shop but go online and find out what you should be paying - or look at used on ebay. You can always go back to the shop if the deal was good after all.

As to where to learn and get more advice - you have found it already :) Welcome to the forums.
 
Ok, thanks a million everyone for your replies. I am learning lots now.

Ok two cameras I went to see in Jessops are as follows, could you let me know what you think of the price?

Nikon D40X £400 after cashback. 3 yr warranty £60 including accidental damage. I was told that this camera does not fit all Nikon lens's just younger ones. I like this camera because it is 10Meg

Pentax K100 D +18-55 £300 can buy an extra lens Tamron 70-300 for £100 at same time as purchase. 3 year warranty £40. I like this one because it has anti shake and fits all Pentax lens's. it is only 6 meg though.

Any suggestions between the two?

On a random note, is it possible to buy a light activated camera for photographing lightening by the way?

Thanks for all your help everyone, I think I am getting there.

Cheers
 
I find jessops limited in the range of cameras that they stock and they try and 'push' certain camera's.

If you have one of the other big camera shops nearby, pay them a visit as well (Wildings, Jacobs etc) as they will undoubtedly have other brands. That how i ended up with a Olympus - none of the others 'felt right'
 
For £299 pounds you could get yourself a Pentax K100D. It has built in SR (Shake Reduction) and more than enough pixels to satisfy any beginner and amateur photographer.

Link

Alternatively the Olympus E-400 has been reduced in price and can be had for as little as £379. Excellent little camera.

Link

There is more out there than the usual Canon and Nikon systems.

King.
 
Do you rate the anti shake mechanism? I seem to be putting a lot of emphasis on it in my own mind. My hands are not the steadiest so thought it may be a must.

Cheers
 
Do you rate the anti shake mechanism? I seem to be putting a lot of emphasis on it in my own mind. My hands are not the steadiest so thought it may be a must.

Cheers
 
jimcanswim said:
Do you rate the anti shake mechanism? I seem to be putting a lot of emphasis on it in my own mind. My hands are not the steadiest so thought it may be a must.

Cheers
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The anti shake system is a huge benefit to most if not all aspects of photography. It is something that once you have you will not want to give up.

King.
 
Another issue you need to consider (sorry) is battery life, DSLR's use battery energy pretty quickly , so if you are in a campervan will you have access to recharge the batteries (mains hook-up) and will your charger work in Europe?
 
Les McLean said:
will your charger work in Europe?
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They work the world over, all you need is adapter plugs which you can buy in Tesco. Alternatively invest in a pair or three batteries. It really isnt an issue you need to look at.

King.
 
Thanks King Boru, I think that solves it, I think I am going to buy the Pentax K100D I just hope the 6Meg is big enough. Les this one uses batteries so that problem is sorted as we have a solar charger.

Thanks all.
 
King Boru, the Tamron lens is on sale in Jessops for £200 or £100 when I buy camera. Do you think it is worth investing in?

Cheers
 
If you mean this one then thats a pretty good deal.

I really hope you get on with it and enjoy the DSLR world.
 
Go for it. Its the same one as in the Photozone.de review which seems to perform quite well.

If you can find it, Photography Monthly July 2007 edition has a nice review on the K100. The editor takes it for a test drive whilst on a cruise.

King.
 
Great stuff, thanks everyone. I have decided to go for the Pentax K100D. I found the mentioned lens here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tamron-AF-70-...ryZ30070QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For about the same price as the Jessops half price one. I am wondering if I should leave it for now as I can always get it later for the same price. Sorry for being such an indecisive b****r.

Can someone tell me what this lens will do that the 18-55 which comes with the camera wont?

Thanks
 
jimcanswim said:
Thanks King Boru, I think that solves it, I think I am going to buy the Pentax K100D I just hope the 6Meg is big enough. Les this one uses batteries so that problem is sorted as we have a solar charger.

Thanks all.
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Great, the reason it occurred to me is I have a towing caravan, so I always need to make sure I go where there is an electric hook up to ensure I keep my camera battery charged :)
 
jimcanswim said:
Great stuff, thanks everyone. I have decided to go for the Pentax K100D. I found the mentioned lens here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tamron-AF-70-...ryZ30070QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For about the same price as the Jessops half price one. I am wondering if I should leave it for now as I can always get it later for the same price. Sorry for being such an indecisive b****r.

Can someone tell me what this lens will do that the 18-55 which comes with the camera wont?

Thanks
Click to expand...


It'll let you photograph things further away, without them appearing tiny in the frame. Think sports/wildlife/candids.

If you like photographing sunsets, then a tripod is gonna be a must, even with the anti-shake maechanism in the camera.

I'd get the lens now if you can afford it, the one on fleabay is from hong-kong, so may not have a european warranty, and if it arrives broken, sending it back to HK may be a bit of a trial.

I'd also be wary of the jessops extended warranty stuff. You'd be better off getting some decent insurance for it, Cheaper, and if it goes wrong, it can always 'fall down the stairs, sergeant' *cough* ;)
 
Thanks Ghandi, is it possible to get seperate insurance somewhere? We don't have household as we don't have a house anymore lol. Any links would be great.

Thanks
 
Gandhi said:
I'd also be wary of the jessops extended warranty stuff. You'd be better off getting some decent insurance for it, Cheaper, and if it goes wrong, it can always 'fall down the stairs, sergeant' *cough* ;)
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I got insurance through jessops for nothing when I bought my 6500 as it was a display model. It is provided my Domestic and General rather than Jessops itself and sounds quite a reasonable policy that covers accidental damage as well as breakdown. Obviously the real test would come when trying to make a claim and I haven't a clue how it compares with other plans price wise but if you want to get insurance then I wouldn't discount the jessops plan out of hand.
 
The lens is being sold by Warehouse Express for around £120, so your not saving a great deal by buying it with the camera.
I'm sure I've read recently in one of my photo mags that Jessops will price match any price within that mag.
It may be worth you thumbing througha few mags in W H Smiths, or wherever, to see if you can find the advert. Then you can go to your local Jessops & insist they match the lowest price in the mag.
The K100D is a fine camera - but they've just released a K100D Super - so the price of the K100D should fall soon. If you haven't already taken the plunge it may be prudent to wait a little while & see what happens..
Cheers
john
 
Thanks all, I am stuck on a ship for the next week so have time to wait. I may keep an eye and keep researching. Thanks for all the help
 
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